3-year-old boy dies after police say his 26-year-old mother who was an Army veteran shot him once in the head before turning the gun on herself
New Hampshire – In a heartbreaking scene that left a community in New Hampshire shocked, police discovered the bodies of a 3-year-old boy and his 26-year-old mother, identified as J. Byrne. Officials say Byrne, a U.S. Army veteran, is believed to have shot her son once in the head before turning the gun on herself.
Officers with the police department responded to a 911 call at 1 a.m. on Friday from a residence. A witness inside the home reported hearing two gunshots before entering an upstairs bedroom and discovering both the mother and her son with gunshot wounds to the head. Byrne was pronounced dead at the scene. Her son, who was still alive when first responders arrived, was rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Assistant Chief Medical Examiner Dr. A. Alexander performed autopsies on both victims the same day. Preliminary results show that the 3-year-old boy died from a single gunshot wound to the head, and his manner of death has been ruled a homicide. Byrne also died from a single gunshot wound to the head, but her manner of death remains pending, as officials continue to investigate whether she intentionally took her own life after killing her son. Despite the evidence suggesting Byrne may have shot her three-year-old son and then herself, investigators have not yet released a definitive motive. Authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the public and that the event is isolated to the household.
In a joint statement, Attorney General J. Formella, Colonel M. Hall of the New Hampshire State Police, and Police Chief Gary R. Gaskell confirmed that the case is being actively investigated as a potential murder-suicide. Authorities have not shared details about the gun used in the shooting or how Byrne may have come into possession of it. The identity and whereabouts of the boy’s father have not been made public. As of now, police are withholding further details, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Neighbors and community members are grappling with the shock of the tragic loss, especially given the young ages of the victims and the disturbing possibility that a mother may have killed her own child. The presence of a witness in the home who heard the gunshots raises questions about what led up to the fatal event and whether there were any warning signs prior to the shooting. However, officials have not confirmed whether the witness had any prior knowledge of instability or distress in the household.
Authorities emphasized that while the case remains under investigation, there is no danger to others in the area. The tragic deaths have prompted an outpouring of sorrow from the community and renewed conversations around mental health support and domestic crisis intervention. As officials work to piece together what happened in the final moments of the victims’ lives, loved ones and residents alike are left mourning a child taken far too soon and a mother whose actions and state of mind may never be fully understood.
